Deltec Asset Management LLC Trims Stake in Delta Air Lines, Inc. $DAL

Key Points

• Deltec Asset Management cut its stake in Delta by 78.3%, selling 16,200 shares and ending the quarter with 4,500 shares valued at $312,000, signaling a notable institutional reduction.
• Company insiders sold heavily last quarter—353,611 shares worth $25.18 million—including EVP Rahul D. Samant (62,528 shares) and EVP Steven M. Sear (38,600 shares)—leaving insiders with just 0.96% ownership.
• Operationally Delta beat Q1 estimates (EPS $0.64 vs. $0.61; revenue $14.20B), declared a quarterly dividend of $0.1875, and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" target of $79.10, though near-term risks from higher fuel costs and route disruptions could pressure results.

Deltec Asset Management LLC reduced its position in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Free Report) by 78.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,500 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 16,200 shares during the period. Deltec Asset Management LLC's holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DAL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 33.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $555,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 1st quarter valued at about $178,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Delta Air Lines in the 2nd quarter valued at about $555,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Delta Air Lines by 102.2% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 7,825 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 357,825 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 58,129 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,859,000 after acquiring an additional 5,564 shares during the period. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on DAL. Seaport Research Partners increased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research raised Delta Air Lines from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wolfe Research decreased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. HSBC decreased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $80.20 to $79.30 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $79.10.

Key Stories Impacting Delta Air Lines

Here are the key news stories impacting Delta Air Lines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Delta’s board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.1875/share, payable June 4 — a shareholder-friendly signal that management is confident in cash flow and capital allocation. Delta Air Lines Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst note and industry commentary say Delta and United may benefit from competitors cutting capacity in response to higher fuel costs, which can support yields and unit revenues for remaining carriers. Delta and United benefit from competitors cutting capacity amid higher fuel costs – analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Delta CFO Dan Snell was added to the board of Wheels Up, a move that reflects executive demand for Delta leadership and can be read as a credibility boost for Delta’s finance team. Wheels Up adds Delta CFO Snell to board
• Neutral Sentiment: Airline peers show mixed operational resilience — e.g., Southwest reported Q1 results roughly in line with estimates despite higher fuel, indicating the group can partly pass through costs but margins remain pressured. Southwest Airlines Q1 Earnings Meet Estimates, Revenue Beat
• Negative Sentiment: Supply disruption: closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a surge in oil to about $100/bbl have sparked a growing jet-fuel crisis, route cancellations and refunds — direct headwinds for margins and capacity planning. Low-cost airline CEO warns of looming airline bankruptcies
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports detail flight cancellations and summer schedule cuts as carriers respond to the oil shock, raising near-term revenue disruption and potential rebooking/refund costs for Delta. Another airline cancels summer flights, refunds available
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution: BNP Paribas Exane issued a pessimistic forecast for DAL, adding downside risk from sell-side revisions if fuel and network disruption persist. BNP Paribas Exane Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Delta Air Lines NYSE: DAL Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Insider activity: a reported significant insider stake reduction by a Delta insider may be interpreted negatively by some investors, though motives vary. This Delta insider just slashed his stake by more than one-fifth (21%)

Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines

In other news, EVP Rahul D. Samant sold 62,528 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.18, for a total transaction of $4,388,215.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,939 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,469,499.02. This represents a 74.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven M. Sear sold 38,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total value of $2,896,930.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 104,404 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,835,520.20. This trade represents a 26.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 353,611 shares of company stock worth $25,182,798. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Delta Air Lines Stock Performance

Shares of DAL stock opened at $68.46 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $44.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.81. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.94 and a 12-month high of $76.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The transportation company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.05 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.28% and a net margin of 6.87%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 5.3 EPS for the current year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.1875 per share. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. Delta Air Lines's dividend payout ratio is 10.93%.

Delta Air Lines Profile

Delta Air Lines is a major U.S.-based global airline that provides scheduled passenger and cargo air transportation, aircraft maintenance and repair services, and related travel products. Its operations include mainline domestic and international passenger services, a branded regional network operating under the Delta Connection name, dedicated air cargo carriage, and in-house maintenance, repair and overhaul through Delta TechOps. Delta offers a range of cabin products for different customer segments, including premium business-class service on long-haul routes and tiered economy offerings on domestic and international flights, and it markets customer loyalty benefits through the SkyMiles frequent-flyer program.

The carrier operates a mixed fleet of narrow- and wide-body aircraft from multiple U.S.

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